Do something special for Motherland!

Like other parts of the world, the Mother’s Day (second Sunday of May) was celebrated in Pakistan yesterday. People cut cakes to mark the day and on the eve, messages, postings and tweets were uploaded to pay tribute to mothers. Google also offered mother's day doodle to help create a sweet card.

The day is a celebration honouring mothers and motherhood and maternal bonds. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in March or May. It complements Father's Day, a similar celebration. The celebration of Mother's Day began in the United States in the early 20th century.

Coincidently, high turnout general elections ended on the eve of Mother’s Day, maybe, to encourage the elected people to do something special for the motherland.

Terrorism has plagued the motherland. On polling day, the country lost more than 50 lives. Karachi, once know as City Of Light, fell in the darkness of targeted killings while Baluchistan has been caught by violence and KPK a battlefield of war on terror.Victory celebrations on in Lahore. –Afp

Power problem

Power crisis looms large in the country. Countrymen have been facing up to 14-hours loadshedding as, according to authorities, the nation grid has facing 5,500MW shortfall. On April 9, the Punjab caretaker government announced a two-day weekly off in all public institutions across the province to combat the ongoing energy crisis.

According to Online on Sunday, the residents of Ali Pur Taramri Chowk in Rawalpindi cried for potable water. This is a populated area but negligence on the party of water authorities have been adding to public woes. “We don't have much time to bring water from filtration plants operating in remote localities, said Ali Akbar, a schoolteacher. Residents have been suffering from abdominal diseases because of contaminated water, said Khizar Hayat, a trader.

The water shortage is getting worse with every passing day in the federal capital, especially in sectors I-8, I-10 and G-10. Residents of Sector I-10 are forced to either buy water containers on higher rates or install their own water pumps. They residents said that it was just the beginning of summer season and water has become too low than demand. They said the situation hinted that the crisis could get extremely worse in coming days.

According to officials of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), reserves of water in Simly Dam are satisfactory and 25 million gallons per day water could be supplied to the city from the dam. They said that water crisis is severe in those sectors, which are supplied water from tube-wells.

The officials said the civic authority changed the older motors of tube wells with less power motors with the help of USAID to save electricity. The change helped lessen the electricity expenditures but production of water also decreased, culminating in the water crisis, they said.

This problem is not restricted to Rawalpindi and Islamabad as the situation. Water crisis has looming large in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi. The Punjab capital has also fallen short of potable water though Chief Minister Najam Sethi has repeatedly ordered Wasa to ensure the supply and get out-of order tubewell repaired while the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has been dragging its feet over the matter. Mozang, Sanda, Samanabad, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Shahdara and Bund Road areas have been facing acute shortage of potable water. Top officials cited unannounced loadshedding as reason for the water woes while their subordinates complained of irregular fuel supply for generators.

Price hike

Room coolers sellers have started plundering citizens by increasing the prices unilaterally with the advent of summer due to lack of price fixation policy, reports Online. The prices have been jacked up from Rs1,000 to Rs 3,000 per cooler and they are likely to soar further with the increase in the intensity of heat.

Another report says government flats are in a shambles, posing a serious threat to life. It has been reported that government-flats situated in Sector F-6, G-6, G-7 and G-9 can turn into rubble any time and need immediate repair.

The residents are of the view that CDA should allocate budget for this purpose. When contacted, CDA officials said that the organisation is unable to resolve the matter as it is suffering from paucity of funds.

Rawalpindi caught in traffic troubles because of negligence on the part of departments concerned, according to online.

Many commuters from Rawalpindi, including government servants, working in Islamabad comes across traffic problems in morning, evening and while travelling between the twin cities. The vans plying between Express Highway, Blue area and Peshawar Morr create a traffic jams at Pindora Chongi as their drivers park the vehicles right in the middle of road to pick passengers.

Commuters complained of mismanagement near newly-constructed overhead bridge on Peshawar Road in Rawalpindi. The overhead bridge has recently been constructed on Peshawar Road. The commuters coming from Seham, Shabbir Lane and Qadria Colony are forced to take turn from the places too far away from the bridge. This situation become grave and fatal when an ambulance carrying near to death patient has to wait for hours.